In the Bible, the scriptures tell us that it is better for a guilty man to go free than for an innocent man to be condemned. Master director Alfred Hitchcock proves this biblical maxim in his sparse black and white documentary-style thriller based on the real life account of C.E. Balestrero (played by Henry Fonda in an appropriately understated performance). Almost from the opening frames, we see how this simple but financially struggling family man, has his dignity and pride stripped away as complete strangers look at him with all the suspicion, contempt, and fear of a dangerous criminal, all because of an unfortunate resemblance. Seeing this wrongfully accused man be clinically processed by the police, court, and prison systems makes the audience realize just how flawed the justice system can be. However, before one condemns the system, it should be remembered that at least in the Anglo-American legal system, that scholars like Alan Dershowitz rightly praise, there is an attempt to remedy miscarriages of justice. By comparison, in the Third World they simply throw away the key!
Review of The Wrong Man
